Brown Canyon Loop

I hadn't hiked this since 2023. Bill invited me to join him and Monty at 5am and we all began this sunrise hike with Zana.

We started at the Ramsey Road trailhead and walked counter-clockwise. It was 60F. Sunrise was at 5:17 and we got to see the colorful beginning of the day.  But once the sun rose, it disappeared behind clouds, making our hike refreshing, breezy, with diffused sunlight.  I'm sure Zana appreciated that as there was no water today.

I was saddened to see so many mature oaks dying from the drought.

Zana did very well, staying close to me. I held her on leash when joggers and bikers came though. She did lose decorum in the end when she chased a deer.

The water trough was dry.

We may repeat this on Tuesday.

The fledglings have flown away

I wasn't expecting both chicks to fly away so soon.  Had they been practicing their wing movements in secret, to get ready for this?  

The first one flew away yesterday after I picked it up to let it move its wings.  Instead, it flew out of my hand down to the ground, then up into the mesquite tree by the house.  It was the last photo I took of the dove family.  The chicks are now resembling their parents' plumage.

Today the remaining chick and the parent bird flew out of the nest on their own.  The parent dove feinted a wing injury while the chick flew toward a few doves nearby.  Neither bird came back to the nest for the night.  I'm sure they will remain in the area as this is their territory and I will continue to keep the bird bath and feeders filled.

I was expecting the chicks to hang around for another week to grow strong and practice flying, but both birds seemed ready to leave the nest.  Perhaps my daily picture-taking stressed them out.   

Last day of school

Today was the last day for students.  It was bittersweet for me as there were a few kids in my 6th hour that really ruined the ambiance.  But overall there were some wonderful young people this year.

One student, Valese M, came by before my first class and presented me with a large Starbucks "Toasted Almond Latte" and a small bag of strawberries.  She is in my last period. The coffee was delicious but I zipped it cautiously because I didn't want to have to run to the restroom every hour.  I've gotten so used to being the one passing out candies or cookies, that getting something back as thanks threw me off guard.

I gifted two juniors, who suffer from low-economic status, each a $10 Taco Bell gift card.  They were so touched they both hugged me openly in the hallway.

And of course there were many fun seniors graduating later today that are going to enter a vicious world once they are on their own.

This was my last full-time year.  I will be retiring officially by next school year.

Tomorrow I clean out my classroom and turn in the keys.

And then after Memorial Day I will be making medical appointments to fulfill my annual Medicare physical exam.  I will also make an appointment for Wolfie to see why he has been limping for the last two weeks.  If he's diagnosed with arthritis, I want him to get the proper pain medications.  Gretel will get her three-year rabies in July and then all the dogs will be UTD on the required vaccines.

The river is drying up

I had planned on taking two groups of dogs down to the river, this weekend but Saturday morning, while photographing the doves, something either stung me or bit me hard on my left foot arch. The pain was intense and immediate.

 At first I thought it was a thorn that had pierced my slider, but I never saw the source of the pain. The pain lingered intensely for two hours. While I could walk, the constant burning sensation never relented. 

I lay down for a while with my left leg elevated, rubbed baking soda paste on my left foot. After two hours of no increase in pain or severity, I relaxed more. However, a walk down to the river was out of the question. I stayed home in case I had a delayed allergic reaction. The burning sensation lasted  for nine hours.  

Today the pain is replaced by constant itchiness. I still can't see the source of a bite or sting, but the affected area is red but there is no swelling. 

I looked out the west window to see the doves.  A dead desert hare lay near the e-bike.  What had killed it?  There were no bite marks on the young animal.

 A red flag warning was out for today starting at 11am for 24 hours. I took Gretel and Zana to the river at 7am. It had been two weeks since I was at our usual site. It was a pleasant 64F and winds were 13mph. 

The recent high, dry temperatures is impacting the water level. The river is now drying up and is no longer flowing.

 At the two-mile mark I could see the entire river floor going north, so we walked the dry wash for another half mile until we reached the next water source. I don't think I was ever up this way. The river runs parallel in two separate flows, covered by cottonwoods. 

 

 

Saw my first yellow sinnias for the year!

 I hope to take the boys down this way next weekend. I would have walked longer, but I wanted to be home safely before the winds arrived. We had hiked 5.6 miles and I enjoyed the exploration. 

 I was back home by 9:30am, I watered the plants along the fenceline.

 And sure enough, by 11am the winds increased. I was concerned for the doves. I checked on the doves and they were secure in their pot. The towel around the shelf blew loose and I had to tighted that. At least I knew the flimsy nest wouldn't blow away. Both chicks are now opening their beaks and raising their wings when I near them, mimicking their mom, but not vocalizing yet.

The second squab has hatched!

I kept checking the nest all day, annoying the momma dove.  Finally, by 2:30pm I checked for the 4th time and the second egg had hatched.  The older of the two squabs was sitting upright next to its sibling.

I have the bird bath moved closer to the front patio, and some seed nearby.  This way the mother dove doesn't have to look far for food.  According to Google, the squabs will remain quiet until their eyes open in a few days.

I secured the metal shelf with cord, so that it remains upright in strong wind. A towel around the shelf keeps the nest out of sight and helps the bird from stressing out too much.

In two weeks the birds will fledge and that's when they will become easy prey to road runners,coyotes, and javelina. I will do my best to protect them.

The eggs hatched at a good time.  The heat will continue now into the summer.  I don't have to worry about the birds freezing at night.  No storms either for a while, either.

The heat is on! The first dove egg has hatched!

We're finally getting seasonal heat.  I walked Gretchen after sunrise at 60F and didn't need to wear a flannel shirt.  Two hours later and at 70F, I took Hansel, Gretel and Fritz down to the river but had to turn around because a stubborn Gila Monster was in the middle of the trail and Fritz was too curious about the lizard.  He only listened because I turned around right away and gave my usual command "This way!" 

This is the third Gila Monster I've encountered, and all were about a half-mile from the river and all in exposed desert.

We all felt the heat.  Soon starting a hike at 7:30am will be too late.

The yellow glow from a month ago is now gone  The creosote flowers have all turned to seed.  The only blooms left are the sweet acacia balls.

All three dogs were panting hard when I got back to the Honda.  They did three miles in exposed desert with no water until we got home by 9am.  The water trough was their immediate relief.

I watered the plants along the backyard fenceline.  A few hours later, by 1:30pm, I checked in on the dove.  She was positioned sideways on her clutch and didn't move when I got close.  I had noticed a broken eggshell.  Where was the squab?  When Momma Dove flew away I saw the little heap, barely breathing.  It must have just hatched earlier this morning.

I need not have worried.  I googled "newly hatched squab" and Google said the new hatchlings are motionless for several hours as they can't see or hear.  Momma Dove was protective of her new baby but let me photograph it.  I'm excited to watch it grow, but I also don't want to stress out the dove. At least she is off the ground and well-protected from predators.  My strawberry plant is surely traumatized, though.

The second egg should hatch tomorrow and then I'll have two weeks of worry as they will nest for two weeks before fledging, and then I'll worry about predators.

A good rain

We had a forecast for heavy rain in the afternoon and the rain delivered.

I was home by 4: t5pm and the mountains were already shrouded in fog.  By 5pm it began to rain in a steady pattern with a short reprieve for me to walk around the backyard.  And then it began in earnest by 10pm.

I'm glad I was safely at home and the dogs could come inside for the night.  While we heard the coyotes howl wildly at 9pm, the rest of the night was peaceful.

Even Momma Dove settled in for the evening, roosting over her two eggs.  I hope the towel around the shelving kept her dry enough to stay warm.

I never got my evening dog walk in but I hope in May I can do a better job with my daily mileage.

Dove roosting on my patio in a strawberry plant

My goal this weekend was to get as many of the potted plants I got this week into the ground, walk all the dogs and clean out my Honda.

My Saturday began early with my usual coffee, and by 7:45am I was walking the river trail with Wolfie and Zana. They are my two heaviest dogs that need exercise the most, but isolating them from the rest of the pack isn't easy as they all want to join me on a river walk. 

Wolfie hadn't gotten his long walk in almost two weeks, so I know he was happy chasing Zana in the desert. High winds were predicted all day through the evening, but it wasn't so bad in the morning. 

I was only on the trail for 90 minutes and back home by 9:30am.  I was quick to repot a bare-rooted Mexican lime tree and then put a new white oleander in the ground were once my Italian pine failed. I just can't grow pines in my front yard. Everyone has died so far, but the oleander are doing well.

I noticed a dove nest in one of my strawberry pots. A single egg standing on a few dried twigs. It's not much of a nest, but does Momma dove really want to roost there, with all the in-out traffic? I love watching birds and she is welcome to stay if my constant presence won't bother her. I just need to remember to take the side entrance more often. 

 

There were no birds on my property when I first moved here. I'm glad that is changing. I will try to leave Momma dove some seeds and water for her.

Later in the early evening, when clouds were forming, I draped a towel around the shelf the strawberry plant is on to give Momma Dove some privacy so she feels safer.  Hopefully the towel will also keep the wind out.

A high school friend has died

I was sitting in my IKEA chair in the late afternoon. like I always do, scrolling through my Facebook when I noticed a message on Dave Glogowski's page stating that he unexpectedly died of a "cardiac event" on April 15th. He was a retired USAF colonel and just 65 years old. I saw that message and was shocked. He was always so active and healthy, how could he die so soon? David and I were good friends in High School in Germany where our parents were stationed. Kaiserslautern American High School. I was class of 1978 and he the class of 1979. We both were on the cross country and track teams. along with sisters Jill and Lynda, Tim Davis (my boyfriend for that last year until he dumped me a week before the prom), Mark Burdan,Don Stearns, Bob. We often went out together to downtown Kaiserslautern and ate and drank at the Weinstube. Dave and Tim got close that last year and the two boys were also good friends. Dave and I were never serious, also we did go out as close friends briefly in college. HE went to the U of Illinoi and I went to Indiana U. When he told me that I would need to convert to the Catholic faith I knew it wasn't meant to be. Besides, Dave was always highly driven and he was determined to join the Air Force after college. I didn't just want to be an officer's wife stuck in the home with the kids, so we parted gently. We kept in contact sporatically, meeting in the base library of McGuire Air Force Base next to Fort Dix where I was stationed. He happened to be in the area for some of his troops graduation. Our conversation was short and a bit awkward as he let me know I should have been an officer instead of enlisted. But all that aside, I admired Dave for his success. He married a woman he met at U of Illinois and they stayed together for 43 years, until his death last week. His strong faith and his allegiance to country and family were important to him. He was also very proud of his accomplishments. The death saddened me as I'm sure his wife Jeanne is hurting. Now a widow with three grown kids and four grandchildren, she is all alone in their big Florida home. I'm sure she is grieving. Dave was always active, so dying of a cardiac event seemed so weird. I ended up scrolling through Dave's Facebook page to know more about his career. We hadn't hooked up on Facebook until just six months ago, and I was even skeptical to accept his friend request. But his page is disappointing as he doesn't post much unless he and Jeanne are out enjoining a performing arts play at the center in Tampa. He posted a bit about his daughters and grandkids but little about Jeanne. He also posted a crypted post about "fighting the black dog" late last year. I'm not sure what that was about as his older posts were seldom personal. I ended up going to bed early and forsaking a night walk. I kept thinking about Dave, knowing he's now gone forever and a high school reunion with him and the old track team will never be. And that got me thinking: is it better to die young and successful, or old and experienced?

Fritz and Gretel to the river

Creosote and Desert Marigolds are still in bloom but now the Sweet Acacia shrubs with the yellow round fluffballs are also blooming.

Tent catepllars are also busy building their silk sacks in the trees along the river.

To the river with Fritz, Gretel, Wolfie

The desert continues its bloom. Cottonwood trees have slowed down their aerial seeding, but now tent caterpillars are moving in.

Spring has sprung